Christmas Welcome: Readiness Checklist for Parishes
Here’s a comprehensive parish readiness checklist covering eight essential areas for welcoming Christmas visitors—from parking lot to follow-up. Created by The Mark 5:19 Project, this practical tool helps parishes prepare greeters, liturgical ministers, and facilities to make every guest feel genuinely welcome during the busiest season of the year.
Christmas brings more visitors to parishes than any other time of year—seekers, lapsed Catholics, family members of regulars, and those responding to a nudge from the Holy Spirit. This readiness checklist ensures your parish is prepared to welcome them with genuine hospitality.
Covering eight key areas, this resource guides parishes through practical preparations including exterior accessibility and signage, interior welcome procedures, liturgical adaptations for guests, family-friendly supports, newcomer connection strategies, accessibility considerations, safety logistics, and crucial follow-up steps. Each section contains specific, actionable checkboxes that can be delegated to different ministry teams.
Particularly valuable features include guidance on creating worship aids for newcomers, training greeters and ushers with guest-focused approaches, preparing for families with young children, and establishing clear next steps for those interested in returning. The checklist emphasizes both the practical details (snow removal, parking plans, sufficient bulletins) and the pastoral mindset needed to help every volunteer embody the message: “Welcome the person God sent here tonight.”
Perfect for parish staff meetings, hospitality ministry planning sessions, or distribution to all Christmas liturgy volunteers. From The Mark 5:19 Project, dedicated to fostering thriving, apostolic parishes.
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